Meet some of the Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative team members:

Angela Ponivas is the Chief of the California Department of Social Services Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP). She has been in the OCAP almost five years, working at a systems level on behalf of children and families. Angela provides executive oversight of the development and execution of Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative activities at CDSS.

Prior to working for the State, Angela was the Executive Director of Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center in Placer County for over 7 years. In addition to non-profit leadership, Angela has provided direct service in child welfare working in various areas of the continuum of care including Family Maintenance, Court Investigations and has worked for a Foster Family Agency, matching families and children, stabilizing placements and conducting adoption home assessments. Also, Angela started a non-profit called “Love Little Children,” a food program for in-home daycare providers in Sacramento.

Angela has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Master of Social Work. She has enjoyed the variety of work within the field of Social Work, applying both her business skills and her social work skills. Angela lives in Sacramento County with her husband, Scott, and her 7-year old adopted son, Jonah.

Steve Wirtz, Ph.D. is Chief of the Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, Safe and Active Communities (SAC) Branch, California Department of Public Health. He is a licensed psychologist and research scientist. He manages the Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Initiative, Crash Medical Outcome Data Project, Essentials for Childhood Initiative, and California Violent Death Reporting System, among others. Dr. Wirtz has been Principal Investigator for several research projects and regularly publishes and provides trainings. He is also active in the Sacramento community as a Commissioner on the First Five Sacramento Commission and Chair of the Evaluation Committee.

Steve Wirtz, Ph.D. is Chief of the Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, Safe and Active Communities (SAC) Branch, California Department of Public Health. He is a licensed psychologist and research scientist. He manages the Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Initiative, Crash Medical Outcome Data Project, Essentials for Childhood Initiative, and California Violent Death Reporting System, among others. Dr. Wirtz has been Principal Investigator for several research projects and regularly publishes and provides trainings. He is also active in the Sacramento community as a Commissioner on the First Five Sacramento Commission and Chair of the Evaluation Committee.

Jeffery Rosenhall has been with the CA Department of Public Health since 2004, starting in the Safe and Active Communities Branch focusing on injury prevention, violence prevention active transportation and creating healthy built environments for all. Most recently, Jeffery has been with CDPH’s Chronic Disease Control Branch overseeing the cardiovascular, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and colorectal cancer programs and staff. His current role has him back with SACB as a Section Chief supervising and leading over a dozen staff from the violence prevention, injury prevention, and opioid abuse prevention programs.

Prior to joining CDPH, Jeffery was a violence prevention fellow with The California Endowment’s Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) based at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA where he worked on intimate partner violence, pedestrian safety, and firearm-related violence prevention. He has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and is an enthusiastic team leader and passionate about the public health issues that SACB addresses.

On a more personal note, Jeffery enjoys spending time with his wife and two elementary school-aged children and being out in nature.